I am on a mission eat the most authentic, and delicious, French foods.
Boeuf Tartare, a traditional dish of raw ground beef, has the potential to go very wrong.
After walking by on numerous occasions, and always stopping to comment on the funky facade, Hannah and I finally stopped in for dinner at Michel's.
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| a peanut dispenser? |
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| Campy cutlery and zinc counter tops. |
I don't have a lot of experience eating out in France and the customs of dining are still rather foreign. Though I can read French perfectly fine, some of the dishes still evade me. What is pêlée de gambas, entrecote, magret, bavette, and carre d'agneau au pain épices? (By the way, I asked the butcher why the cut of pork was called arignées, he didn't know.) After many "Que-ce c'est ca?"'s in reference to the menus offerings, I finally turned towards my neighbor. I'll have what he's having, I told the waiter.
It's raw, he warned me.
Awesome. (I feel like Anthony Bourdain.)
Bring it on.
My tartare was beautiful, served on a slate plate with pommes de terre and a swirl of balsamic vinegar reduction. And, it tasted good! It was cold and fresh, lightly spices and mixed with tomatoes. And the parmasan...mmmm! I was so thrilled to have finally eaten something more than edible at a restaurant here, I had almost given up hope!
Even though boeuf tartare was supposed to just be something checked off of my list of French meals, I think I'll probably end up eating it again, and maybe at Michel's again. The menu was reasonably priced, the ambiance relaxed (our waiters all looked like soccer fans), and, they filled Hannah's wine glass all the way to the top! (Madame Barry told us never to do that, it is not very ladylike!) Oh la la!
Where shall I eat at next?
Michel's
15, rue Pas de Saint Georges
Bordeaux 33000
France
